The invention is directed towards a medical connector apparatus. More particularly, this invention is directed towards a medical connector apparatus system that provides a keyed electrode connector or adapter for use in the system.
Sudden cardiac death is the leading cause of death in the United States, with one person dying every two minutes. Most sudden cardiac death is caused by ventricular fibrillation (xe2x80x9cVFxe2x80x9d), in which the heart""s muscle fibers contract without coordination, thereby interrupting normal blood flow to the body. When VF occurs, the patient loses consciousness as a result of the interruption in blood flow. The only known effective treatment for VF is electrical defibrillation, in which an electrical pulse is applied to the patient""s heart. The electrical pulse must be delivered within a short time after onset of VF in order for the patient to have any reasonable chance of survival. Electrical defibrillation may also be used to treat shockable ventricular tachycardia (xe2x80x9cVTxe2x80x9d). Accordingly, defibrillation is the appropriate therapy for any shockable rhythm, i.e., VF or shockable VT. In delivering defibrillation therapy to treat VF or shockable VT, because the cardiac rhythm is disorganized, delivery of therapy is not synchronized to the cardiac rhythm. Defibrillators include manual defibrillators and automatic or semi-automatic defibrillators (AEDs).
Because of the size and complexity, manual defibrillators are typically used only by emergency medical personnel with advanced training in interpreting ECG signals. AEDs on the other hand, may be used by lay persons with minimal training because AEDs are designed to analyze the heart rhythm and to determine the appropriateness of defibrillation therapy for the user. Thus, the user of the AED need only know how to deploy the AED and, in the case of semi-automatic AEDs, activate therapy delivery upon AED instruction.
As the use of AEDs has become increasingly common, it has become important for defibrillators, particularly AEDs, to be able to treat a wide variety of patients using one device. An example, is the ability to treat pediatric patients (defined by the American Heart Association as children 8 years of age or less). See, www.amhrt.org. As new devices are built that take into consideration the need to deliver defibrillation to a wide variety of patients, changes to electrode pad designs will result to accommodate these needs. However, because older AEDs are not configured to accommodate multiple electrode pad configurations, such as pediatric electrode pads, it is important that such new pads are not usable in those devices. Equally important, is the fact that as newer AEDs become increasingly multi-function, they will still operate effectively with previous electrode pad configurations. Therefore, what is needed is a medical connector system that accepts currently manufactured electrodes that are system compatible while also accommodating newly designed electrodes that include additional functionality supported by the defibrillator.
An electrical medical connector or adapter apparatus is provided comprising: a cable-receiving housing having an interior chamber, a semi-cylindrical surface extending into the interior chamber, two housed electrical connectors, a front end having a first aperture for receiving a male cable connector and the cable receiving housing having a keying channel extending out of the interior chamber from the front end, along a portion of the length of the interior chamber. A male cable connector is inserted into the first aperture of the cable-receiving housing, and the male cable connector comprising two electrical conductors electrically connected to the housed electrical connectors. The male cable connector may further comprise a conductive socket electrically connected to each of the two electrical conductors and an expandable tube surrounding each conductive socket, the expandable tubes expanding when the sockets make electrical connection with the housed electrical connectors. A wiping portion may be adapted in the male connector to providing a wiping action to the housed electrical connectors. Further, a semi-cylindrical channel may be formed in the exterior of the male cable connector. In that case, the semi-cylindrical channel adapted to slide over and surround a semi-cylindrical surface of the cable-receiving housing when the cable connector is inserted into the cable-receiving housing. A light covering portion may be provided on the male connector such that the light covering portion is surrounded by semi-cylindrical surface of housing unit when the male cable connector is inserted in the housing unit. The male cable connector may further comprise a keying protrusion along a portion of its length corresponding to the keying channel of the cable-receiving housing.
In another embodiment, a male cable connector is provided comprising: a shell having an interior surface and an exterior surface; two electrical conductors electrically connected to two conductive sockets forming the interior surface of the shell; a semi-cylindrical channel formed in the shell adapted to slide over and surround a semi-cylindrical surface of a housing unit into which the cable connector is inserted to make electrical contact between the cable connector and the housing unit; and a keying protrusion located on the exterior of the shell. The male cable connector may further comprise a wiping portion adapted to providing a wiping action to electrical connectors of a cable-receiving housing into which the male cable connector is inserted to make electrical contact between the cable connector and the housing unit. Alternatively, the male cable connector may further comprise a light covering portion extending over the channel and adapted to cover a light disposed within the channel when the male cable connector is inserted in the housing unit to make electrical contact between the cable connector and the housing unit. These features may co-exist, or exist separately.
In yet another embodiment, a medical connector apparatus is provided comprising: a cable-receiving housing and an electrical medical cable connector, the cable-receiving housing having an interior chamber, the cable-receiving housing forming a semi-cylindrical surface extending into the interior chamber, the cable-receiving housing further forming a keying channel extending out of the interior chamber from the front end of the cable-receiving housing along a portion of the length, the cable-receiving housing further comprising two housed electrical connectors therein, and a front end having an aperture for receiving a male cable connector, wherein the male cable connector comprises, two electrical conductors electrically connected to two conductive sockets within a shell of the male cable connector, wherein each of the conductive electrical sockets of the male cable connector are connected to each of the electrical conductors; and a semi-cylindrical channel formed in the shell adapted to slide over and surround the semi-cylindrical surface of the housing unit when the cable connector is inserted to make electrical contact between the cable connector and the housing unit. The electrical medical connector apparatus may further comprise a wiping portion adapted to providing a wiping action to the housed electrical connectors. The housing unit may be formed from a rigid material and the cable connector may be formed from a pliable material.
In yet another embodiment, an electrical medical connector apparatus is provided comprising: a cable-receiving housing and an electrical medical cable connector, the cable-receiving housing having an interior chamber, the cable-receiving housing forming a semi-cylindrical surface extending into the interior chamber, the cable-receiving housing further forming a keying channel extending of the interior chamber from the front end of the cable-receiving housing along a portion of the length, the cable-receiving housing further comprising two housed electrical connectors therein, and a front end having an aperture for receiving an electrical medical cable connector, wherein the male electrical medical cable connector comprises, two electrical conductors electrically connected to two conductive sockets within a shell of the electrical medical cable connector, wherein each of the conductive electrical sockets of the male cable connectors are connected to each of the electrical conductors; a semi-cylindrical channel formed in the shell adapted to slide over and surround the semi-cylindrical surface of the housing unit when the cable connector is inserted to make electrical contact between the cable connector and the housing unit, and further wherein the shell has a keying protrusion adapted to slide within the keying channel of the cable-receiving housing. The cable connector may further comprise a wiping portion adapted to providing a wiping action to the housed electrical connectors. Again, the housing unit may be formed from a rigid material and the cable connector is formed from a pliable material.
In yet another embodiment, an electrical medical cable connector is contemplated, comprising: a shell; two electrical conductors each electrically connected to a conductive ring electrically insulated from each other in a socket within the shell; a semi-cylindrical channel formed in the shell adapted to slide over and surround a semi-cylindrical surface of a housing unit into which the cable connector is inserted to make electrical contact between the cable connector and the housing unit; and a keying protrusion located on the exterior of the shell. The electrical medical connector may further comprise an expandable tube in the shell surrounding the socket. The electrical medical cable connector may further comprise a wiping portion adapted to provide a wiping action to an electrical connector of the housing unit into which the cable connector is inserted to make electrical contact between the cable connector and the housing unit. The electrical medical cable connector may further comprise a light covering portion extending over the channel and adapted to cover a light disposed within the channel when the cable connector is inserted in the housing unit to make electrical contact between the cable connector and the housing unit.
In yet another embodiment, an electrical medical connector apparatus is provided comprising: a housing unit and an electrical medical cable connector, the housing unit having an interior chamber, the housing unit forming a semi-cylindrical surface extending into the interior chamber and a channel for receiving a keying protrusion, the housing unit further comprising a housed electrical connector therein, comprising two conductive sleeves electrically insulated from each other, and a front end having an aperture for receiving the electrical medical cable connector, wherein the electrical medical cable connector comprises, two electrical conductors each electrically connected to a conductive ring electrically insulated from each other in a socket within a shell of the electrical medical cable connector; and a semi-cylindrical channel formed in the shell adapted to slide over and surround the semi-cylindrical surface of the housing unit when the cable connector is inserted to make electrical contact between the cable connector and the housing unit and further wherein an expandable tube in the shell surrounds the socket. The electrical medical connector may further comprise a wiping portion adapted to provide a wiping action to the housed electrical connector and the housing unit may be formed from a rigid material and the connector may be formed from a pliable material.
In yet another embodiment, a medical connector apparatus is provided comprising: a female mating connector having a semi-cylindrical interior chamber housing with an electrical connector therein comprising two conductive sleeves electrically insulated from each other, each connection formed from a ring contact on an end of the receptive connectors, a light pipe having a light therein extending along the interior chamber and a keying channel, wherein the interior chamber of the female mating connector is adapted to slidable receive a male mating connector having a socket including two conductive rings electrically insulated from each other, each for receiving the corresponding sleeve of the female mating connector. The male mating connector may further comprise an expandable tube surrounding the socket, the expandable tube expanding when the socket makes electrical connection with the male mating connector. The female mating connector may be formed of a material of greater rigidity than the male mating connector.
In another embodiment, an electrical medical connector apparatus comprising: a housing unit having a semi-cylindrical portion, the semi-cylindrical portion comprising an interior chamber, a semi-cylindrical surface extending into the interior chamber, two housed electrical connectors each connector comprising two conductive sleeves electrically insulated from each other, a keying channel, and a front end having a first aperture for receiving a cable connector. The housing unit may further comprise a bottom wall including a second aperture connected with the interior chamber to provide an outlet for environmental residue within the interior chamber when the cable connector is inserted into the first aperture to make an electrical connection with the housing unit. The apparatus may further comprise a cable connector inserted into the first aperture of the housing unit, wherein the cable connector comprises four electrical conductors, each electrically connected to the corresponding conductive sleeve of the housed electrical connectors. The cable connector may further comprise two sockets, each socket comprising two conductive rings electrically insulated from each other, each conductive ring electrically connected to the corresponding electrical conductor. An expandable tube may be provided to surround each socket, the expandable tube expanding when the sockets make electrical connection with the housed electrical connectors. The cable connector may further comprise a wiping portion adapted to provide a wiping action to the housed electrical connectors. The cable connector may further comprise a semi-cylindrical channel formed in the exterior of the cable connector, the semi-cylindrical channel adapted to slide over and surround a semi-cylindrical surface of the housing unit when the cable connector is inserted in the housing unit. A light covering portion may be provided in the cable connector which surrounds a semi-cylindrical surface of the housing unit when the cable connector is inserted into the housing unit.
In yet another embodiment, an electrical medical cable connector is provided comprising: a shell; four electrical conductors, each electrically connected to a conductive ring in two sockets, each socket including two conductive rings electrically insulated from each other, within the shell; a semi-cylindrical channel formed in the shell adapted to slide over and surround a semi-cylindrical surface of a housing unit into which the cable connector is inserted to make electrical contact between the cable connector and the housing unit; and a keying channel. The medical cable connector may further comprise an expandable tube in the shell surrounding each socket. Alternatively, the medical cable connector may further comprise a wiping portion adapted to provide a wiping action to the electrical connectors of the housing unit into which the cable connector is inserted to make electrical contact between the cable connector and the housing unit. A light covering portion may be provided on the electrical medical cable connector that extends over the channel and is adapted to cover a light disposed within the channel when the cable connector is inserted in the housing unit to make electrical contact between the cable connector and the housing unit.
In yet another embodiment, an electrical medical connector apparatus comprising: a housing unit and an electrical medical cable connector, the housing unit having an interior chamber, the housing unit forming a semi-cylindrical surface extending into the interior chamber and a keying channel, the housing unit further comprising two housed electrical connectors therein, each connector comprising two conductive sleeves electrically insulated from each other, and a front end having an aperture for receiving the electrical medical cable connector. The electrical medical cable connector comprises, four electrical conductors each electrically connected to a conductive ring, wherein two sockets each include two conductive rings electrically insulated from each other, within a shell of the electrical medical cable connector; and a semi-cylindrical channel formed in the shell adapted to slide over and surround the semi-cylindrical surface of the housing unit when the cable connector is inserted to make electrical contact between the cable connector and the housing unit and further wherein an expandable tube in the shell surrounds the socket. The electrical medical cable connector may have a keying protrusion corresponding to the keying channel of the housing unit. The cable connector may further comprise a wiping portion adapted to provide a wiping action to the housed electrical connectors. The housing unit may also be formed from a rigid material and the cable connector may be formed from a pliable material.
In another embodiment, an electrical medical connector apparatus is provided comprising: a housing unit and an electrical medical cable connector, the housing unit having an interior chamber, the housing unit forming a semi-cylindrical surface extending into the interior chamber and a second surface extending into the interior chamber forming a keying channel, the housing unit further comprising two housed electrical connectors therein, each connector comprising two conductive sleeves electrically insulated from each other, and a front end having a first aperture for receiving the electrical medical cable connector and a bottom wall including a second aperture connecting with the interior chamber to provide an outlet for environmental residue. The electrical medical cable connector comprises, four electrical conductors each electrically connected to a conductive ring, wherein two sockets each include two conductive rings electrically insulated from each other, within a shell of the electrical medical cable connector; and a semi-cylindrical channel formed in the shell adapted to slide over and surround the semi-cylindrical surface of the housing unit when the cable connector is inserted into the first aperture to make an electrical connection with the housing unit. Additionally, a keying protrusion may be formed in the shell adapted to correspond to the keying channel of the housing unit. The cable connector may further comprise a wiping portion adapted to provide a wiping action to the housed electrical connectors. Again, the housing unit may be formed from a rigid material and the cable connector may be formed from a pliable material.